Metallic packages for the distribution of beer under pressure

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a process for the manufacture of a metallic highly resistant package constituted by a very thin cylindrical body covered with a polymerizing epoxy-phenolic layer; by upper and lower faces of very small thickness formed out of niobium containing steel sheets and covered with a solution of polymerized polyvinyl chloride hydrocarbon ketone, said faces having a central opening the peripheral edge of which is raised with respect to the general plane of said faces; on the area near the welding line the packing has a layer of a solution of polyvinyl chloride ketone and, finally, the package has over all its inner faces a layer of a solution of polymerized polyvinyl chloride hydrocarbon ketone.

United States Patent 11 1 Morjan n] 3,819,084 June 25, 1974 METALLIC PACKAGES FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF BEER UNDER PRESSURE [75] Inventor: Jean Morjan, Koekelberg-Brussels,

Belgium [73] Assignee: Etablissements J. B. Gabriels S.P.R.L., Brussels, Belgium [22] Filed: July 11, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 270,768

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 15, I972 Belgium 51974 [52] U.S. Cl 220/64, 220/1 BC, 220/44 R [51] Int. Cl 365d 25/14, B65d 25/34 [58] Field of Search 220/64, 63, 1 BC, 44 R; 204/197; 260/834 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3.268.620 8/l966 Tarwid 220/64 X 3,629,092 12/1971 George ..220/64X Primary ExaminerGeorge T. Hall Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Richards & Geier [57] ABSTRACT This invention relates to a process for the manufacture of a metallic highly resistant package constituted by a very thin cylindrical body covered with a polymerizing epoxy-phenolic layer; by upper and lower faces of very small thickness formed out of niobium containing steel sheets and covered with a solution of polymerized polyvinyl chloride hydrocarbon ketone, said faces having a central opening the peripheral edge of which is raised with respect to the general planeof said faces; on the area near the welding line the packing has a layer of a solution of polyvinyl chloride ketone and, finally, the package has over all its inner faces a layer of a solution of polymerized polyvinyl chloride hydrocarbon ketone.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures METALLIC PACKAGES FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF BEER UNDER PRESSURE This invention relates to the very particular problem of the distribution and the supply of beer under pressure at home, i.e. in any location other than the public shops, the latter being however not completely exeluded.

The metallic box, as a package for beer, is well known, no particular problem being set thereby since the content is permanently kept under a pressure equal or nearly equal to the atmospheric pressure, it being of course understood that said box should, as is usual for packaging any liquid product, meet the requirement relating to the tightness, the resistance to the different handlings and manipulations and it should be also perfectly neutral with respect to the content.

However, although the practical problem seems to be thus solved, it must be admitted that the general economy of the distribution of beer under pressure at home is principally conditioned by the containers or packages which must meet apparently contradictory criteria: on one hand, they must be industrially manufactured systematically and at an accelerated rate and, on the other hand, they must meet strict safety and economy requirements since a substantial amount of such packages is likely to be used with an infinitely more restricted number of distributing apparatuses, together with the additional condition that these apparatuses are substantially permanent, whereas the packages are generally considered as lost packages.

With respect to the safety conditions, not only the incidental stresses as in any package must be taken into account, but also the limits of internal pressure which are relatively large since the beer is initially entrapped in a completely closed enclosure subjected to atmospheric pressure or to a pressure close to the latter whereas, for the distribution, a pressure of about 2 to 3 kg/cm2 must be normally considered. However, independently from these normal conditions, the important variations of the ambient atmospheric conditions must be still taken into account, it being possible that" the user places voluntarily or accidentally such packages before or after one or several distributing operations either in the cold environment of a refrigerator or in an overheated environment, e.g. near a heating or cooking apparatus. Within the scope of the safety conditions, chemically speaking, a total neutrality must be also considered between the components of the beer and the components of the coating products of the internal surfaces of the package within limits substantially higher than the expected temperature and pressure ratios. To obtain these results the process according to the invention substantially consists in:

starting from a sheet of tin plate having a thickness of: 0.32 mm for making the body;

covering that face of saidsheet which will form the inner wall of the metallic drum with an anchoring layer consisting of a phenol epoxy composition which is heatedto a polymerization temperature;

bending and welding said sheet in the conventional manner to form the cylindrical body;

starting on the other hand, from a steel sheet having a thickness of t 0.45 mm, preferably an Nb steel sheet for making the bottoms;

covering that face of said sheet whichwill form the inner wallof the bottoms with an anchoring layer consisting of a solution of polyvinyl chloride-hydrocarbonketone which is heated to apolymerization temperature, then stamping respectively the lower and upper bottoms;

crimping the lower bottom on the body;

covering all the inner portions adjoining the seam line of the body with a setting-off layer consistingof a solution of polyvinyl chloride-ketone;

crimping the centrally bored upper bottom on said body and finally covering all the inner surfaces of the resulting metallic drum with a coating layer consisting also of a solution of polyvinyl chloride-hydrocarbon-ketone and heating rapidly and for a very short time the composition of said coating layer to the polymerization temperature.

The previously mentioned technologic characteristics are particularly suitable for realizing the body of a cylindrical box having a content of i 3.800 litres, the

total height being i 227 mm and the inner diameter being 154 mm.

For making bottoms which may be fitted to the body of a cylindrical box,it is suggested to use electrolytic tinplate the hardness coefficient of which is about 57 to 65 Rockwell units, the thickness of the metal-being 0.45mm and the tinning being also about 5.5 5 .5 gr./m2 on two sides.

Due to the body and the bottoms, the box will be of the type having crimped bottom and top with the interposition of a tightness seal, the top and bottom being characterized by a re-entering cylindrical portion of about 6 mm. The top of the box has a central circular opening which may be, if desired, edged bya recess and provided to receive a removable or destructible tight stopper for introducing the plunger tube of the distributing apparatus into the box.

The packages according to the invention are also characterized by the following features:

the bottom and top end wall are bordered with a deep peripheral moulding contributing to a higher resistance of the portion adjoining'the crimping, thereby reducing substantially the diameter of the disc disposed in the same plane;

the depth of the said peripheral moulding or the depth of its cylindrical edge portion are varying in ac cordance with the configuration of the central portion of the upper bottom of thepackage;

the top endwall of the package has a central circular hole the adjoining portion of which is at a level different from that defined by the disc outlined by the said peripheral moulding;

the level of the adjoining edge of the central opening of the top end wall of the package is lower than that of the plane of the disc defined by the peripheral mouldmg; i r

the level of the adjoining edge of the central opening of the top end wall of the package is higher than that of the plane of the disc defined by the peripheral moulding;

the distance between the planes defined, on one hand, by the peripheral adjoining edge of the central opening of the top endwall and, on the other hand, by the upper edge of the crimping of the said bottom upon the container body remains constant in the extent where, in one case or in the other, the use of a given or single drawing-off apparatus is considered;

the convex profile of the central portion of the top end wall is such that it promotes the removal of air when filling up the package and, more particularly under the shock to which is subjected the filled package before being closed by a tight plug;

the package provided to withstand to internal pressures resulting from temperatures of about 50C is realized by means of a thickness of tin-plate of about 0.32 mm for the body and 0.45 mm for the bottom and top end wall, the total height of the container being 227 mm, the lower diameter being 154 mm;

Another main characteristic of the invention consists in the specific application for realizing bottoms for the industrial manufacture of metallic boxes or containers being pressurized and more particularly of such metallic cylindrical boxes or containers having crimped bottoms and a capacity of approximately 3 to 4 litres for containing a liquid under pressure, generally beer, there is used a cold rolled and annealed sheet having a minimum yield strength of 40 kg and a minimum elongation of 20 percent, said sheet being manufactured from a killed steel containing, in addition to moderate proportions of ordinary hardening elements such as C, Si and Mn, a sufficient amount of Nb to reach the said level of yield strength in the cold rolled and annealed product, the use of said sheet being combined with the use of a protecting varnish.

It is apparent, that for solving the specific problems set forth, the invention used simultaneously three means, namely:

reducing the extent of hardening additions detrimental for corrosion;

increasing, by a substantial addition of Nb, the yield strength after cold rolling and annealing, while maintaining sufficient crimping possibilities;

completing the corrosion resistance by the use of a layer of a protecting varnish.

It has been established that cylindrical metallic boxes being 225 mm in height and 155 mm in diameter, i.e. boxes having a capacity of approximately 4.25 litres, the body being made of a tinned sheet having a thickness of 0.32 mm and the bottoms being made of a steel sheet of the previously mentioned composition and being 0.60 mm in thickness, have had a very good resistance to an extraordinary internal pressure of approximately 6 kg/cm2 without any detrimental deformation, the said metallic boxes being subjected to a temperature of approximately 60C. The experimented containers contained beer under a C pressure. When the container and content thereof have been brought back to room temperature, it has been possible to'distribute beer under pressure in absolutely normal conditions up to the complete emptying. Such experiments repeated several hundred of times have all confirmed such results.

An embodiment is described hereinafter and schematically represented in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a package according to the invention equipped with a distribution device of beer under pressure;

FIG. 2 represents the metallic package according to the invention, one half being shown in front view and one half being shown in radial section;

FIG. 3 represents at a larger scale the part indicated by F3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 represents at a very enlarged scale a crosssection along the line IVIV of the FIG. 2.

This embodiment represents the package proper 1 and the device 2 for the distribution of beer under pressure. The package proper is constituted by a cylindrical body 3, a lower bottom 4 and an upper bottom 5. These two bottoms are bordered by a deep peripheral moulding 6 and 7 respectively.

The upper bottom 5 has a central opening 8 the peripheral edge of which is delimited by an annular portion 9 which is at a higher level.

Normally, before use, said metallic package is closed by a stop 10 formed by a body 11 and a wide head 12 separated from each other by a peripheral groove 13. Said stop is practically on its whole length traversed by an axial channel 14 obstructed by a small membrane 15 which is able to be easily pushed back when introducing the plunger (not shown) in the distribution apparatus 2.

The diameter of the bottom of the groove 13 is equal or substantially equal to the diameter of said central opening 8. An anchoring layer 16 on the basis of a phenol epoxy composition is applied to the inner face of the body 3.

The bottoms 4-5 are made of niobium steel and are covered by a first layer 17-18 respectively, of a solution on the basis of polyvinyl chloride-hydrocarbonketone. A complementary layer 20 of a solution of polyvinyl chloride-hydrocarb'on-ketone is applied to the portion adjoining the welding line 19. Finally, a coating layer, 24-25 and 26, also constituted by a solution of polyvinyl chloride hydrocarbon-ketone is applied to all the inner faces, 21-22 and 23 respectively, of the. container. These various layers have been brought to a polymerization temperature.

The relative dimensions of the raw materials used are obviously variable as far as the proportions of the dimensions for each of the constituent parts of said metallic package are maintained.

What I claim is:

1. Metallic package for containing beer intended to be distributed under pressure, characterized in that the bottoms are bordered by a deep peripheral moulding providing a greater resistance to the portion adjoining the crimping and considerably reducing the diameter of the discs disposed in the same plane; the depth of said peripheral moulding, respectively the depth of its cylindrical edge portion, are variable in accordance with the configuration of the central portion of the upper bottom of the package; said upper bottom has a circular central opening the adjoining portion of which is located at a level slightly higher than that defined by the disc delimited by said peripheral moulding, the convex profile of the central portion of the upper bottom is such that it promotes the removal of air during the filling of the package, and more particularly during shocks to which the filled package is subjected before the closure by a tight plug.

2. Package according to claim 1 characterized in that the body is realized by means of atinned sheet of about 0.32 mm; a sheet of niobium steel for the execution of the bottoms the thickness of which is about 0.45 mm; the package executed by means of these sheets and able to resist to very high inner pressures has an overall height of about 227 mm and an inner diameter of about 154 mm.

3. Package according to claim 1, characterized in metallic package being executed in a known manner. that the two bottoms are executed from a cold rolled sheet having a high elastic limit made of a steel which 4. Package according to claim 3, characterized in is not extra soft, which is recristallized by annealing and that the quantity of Nb contained! in the sheets used for which contains in addition to the ordinary hardening 5 executing the two bottoms is comprised between 0.015 elements such as C, Si, Mn, P, possibly Cr, R, MA! and percent and 0.050 percent. impurities, a substantial quantity of Nb, the body of the 

2. Package according to claim 1 characterized in that the body is realized by means of a tinned sheet of about 0.32 mm; a sheet of niobium steel for the execution of the bottoms the thickness of which is about 0.45 mm; the package executed by means of these sheets and able to resist to very high inner pressures has an overall height of about 227 mm and an inner diameter of about 154 mm.
 3. Package according to claim 1, characterized in that the two bottoms are executed from a cold rolled sheet having a high elastic limit made of a steel which is not extra soft, which is recristallized by annealing and which contains in addition to the ordinary hardening elements such as C, Si, Mn, P, possibly Cr, R, N2Al and impurities, a substantial quantity of Nb, the body of the metallic package being executed in a known manner.
 4. Package according to claim 3, characterized in that the quantity of Nb contained in the sheets used for executing the two bottoms is comprised between 0.015 percent and 0.050 percent. 